desolate
gb/dˈɛsəlɪt/ us/dˈɛsəlɪt/
B2
Anglais
~ 4600
Sens
0 sens
adjective
B2
property
1
Empty and lifeless
Used to talk about a place with no people, plants, or activity.
Schéma d’usage :
[a place] is desolate
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'desolate' with 'isolated'. 'Isolated' means far from other places, but 'desolate' also means empty and lifeless.
Synonymes
barren (Focuses more on the inability to support life, especially plant life.)
|
bleak (Emphasizes harshness and lack of comfort in addition to emptiness.)
Antonymes
populated (Describes a place with many people living there.)
|
fertile (Describes land that can support abundant plant life.)
Collocations
desolate landscape
|desolate area
|desolate street
|desolate plain
Thèmes
geography
|nature
|travel
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The once-busy town was now desolate after the factory closed.
- A desolate stretch of highway ran through the desert.
- The island looked desolate, with no signs of human habitation.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The beach was desolate after the storm.
- This road is long and desolate.
- The farm is in a desolate area.
adjective
literary
C1
state
2
Very sad and lonely
Feeling very sad and alone.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] feels desolate
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'desolate' with 'lonely'. 'Lonely' is common and neutral, while 'desolate' is stronger and more literary.
Synonymes
forlorn (Implies sadness with a sense of abandonment.)
|
heartbroken (Stronger focus on emotional pain from loss.)
Antonymes
comforted (Feeling supported or reassured.)
|
content (Feeling satisfied and at peace.)
Collocations
feel desolate
|look desolate
|emotionally desolate
Thèmes
emotions
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- After the breakup, she felt utterly desolate.
- He looked desolate when he heard the news.
- The loss left him emotionally desolate for months.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She felt desolate after her friend left.
- He was desolate when his dog died.
- I felt desolate when I moved to a new city.
Verbe
formal
C2
action
3
Make a place empty and lifeless
To make a place empty and without life.
Schéma d’usage :
to desolate [a place]
Synonymes
devastate (Often used for destruction caused by disaster or war.)
|
ravage (Implies severe and often violent damage.)
Antonymes
repopulate (To bring people back to live in a place.)
|
restore (To bring something back to a good condition or to life.)
Collocations
war desolated the city
|desolated countryside
Thèmes
geography
|history
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The hurricane desolated the coastal towns.
- Years of drought had desolated the farmland.
- War had desolated much of the region.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The fire desolated the forest.
- The war desolated the city.
- The storm desolated the island.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
desolate
API
GB/dˈɛsəlɪt/
US/dˈɛsəlɪt/
Syllabes et accentuation
des - ol - ate (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (des)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: desolate
Verb
- Base: desolate
- 3rd Person Singular: desolates
- Present Participle: desolating
- Past: desolated
Famille de mots
Forms
desolates
verb
desolating
verb
desolated
verb
Core family
desolation
noun C1
Related words
desolately
adverb
Expressions
desolate wilderness
1/dˈɛsəlɪt wˈɪldɚnəs/
fixed phrase
Empty, lifeless natural area
An empty place in nature with no people or signs of life.
Exemples
- They crossed a vast, desolate wilderness.
- The explorers were lost in a desolate wilderness.
leave someone desolate
1/lˈiv sˈʌmwˌʌn dˈɛsəlɪt/
fixed phrase
Make someone feel very sad and alone
To make someone feel very sad and alone.
Exemples
- Her sudden departure left him desolate.
- The news of the accident left them desolate.